Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – My Oh My
Ben Haggerty is an emotional guy.
Haggerty, better known as local MC Macklemore, is responsible for songs like the poetic high school prom anthem “The End” and the autobiographical tale of his recovery from addition “Otherside.” Well now Haggerty can add another emotional rap anthem to his arsenal with the release of “My Oh My,” an homage to the late Dave Niehause who passed away in November.
Niehaus was the play-by-play announcer for the Seattle Mariners and his voice was the essence of baseball in Seattle. He was an icon in Seattle and the emotion of Macklemore’s “My Oh My” perfectly captures the feelings of thousands of baseball fans who loved the Mariners. On the track Macklemore raps about growing up and listening to Niehaus on the radio and although he is speaking of his own personal experiences he very well could have been rapping about my own experiences, or those anyone who grew up a baseball fan in Seattle.
For those unfamiliar with Niehaus give the one-minute mark of the song a listen, or click on the last video below. Both are Niehaus’ call of the 1995 divisional playoff game against the New York Yankees that sent the Mariners to the ALCS, which is perhaps the greatest moment in Seattle sports history (sorry 1797 Supersonics, 1991-92 Husky football squad and 2005 Seahawks).
I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m guessing Haggerty took inspiration for his rapper name from former Mariner Mark McLemore, which makes Macklemore’s ode to Niehaus all the more poetic.
Dave Niehaus was not only the voice of the Seattle Mariners, he was the voice of my childhood. Some of my most prized memories, growing up as a kid, are accompanied with his voice narrating the moment. He was more than just another radio announcer. His on-air personality was so genuine, that you had a sense of who the man was and what he stood for, by simply listening to him call a game.
I understand that many people might not know Dave Niehaus. A large portion of my fan base either lives outside of the Northwest, are too young to have listened to him, or just not a fan of baseball. I get it. But I believe that as musicians, it’s our responsibility to pay homage to the people that made us who we are. For me, Niehaus was an imperative part of not only my upbringing, but of Seattle’s unique history and culture. From his signature “My oh my” catch phrase, to the heart and passion that exuded from the radio, his presence will be greatly missed in the Northwest. And for those of you outside of the area, hopefully you’ll listen and get a glimpse of not only a Town legend, but one of the greatest announcers to ever have ever called a game.
In my book “My Oh My” joins the ranks of the President’s “Supersonics,” which features play-by-play calls by Kevin Calabro, “Sir Mix A Lot’s “Go Dawgs,” which features the killer-but-dated-lyrics “Cougars? Naw, Homey don’t play that” and Kid Sensation’s LL Cool J sampling “The Way I Swing,” which features the rapping debut of Ken Griffey Jr., as one of the best songs about Seattle sports ever recorded. Honorable mention on that list goes to Pearl Jam’s one-off performance of “Supersonic” at KeyArena last year that featured lyrics about the loss of the Seattle Supersonics and a chorus that went “Supersonics go and take my soul. I bought my ticket but the team was gone.” Videos below.
I couldn’t find a clip of Mix’s “Go Dawgs” otherwise the song would have been included. Please do hit me up in the comments if you know where I can find it because I would love to hear it again.
